This disclosure relates to a sample chamber for containing a biomaterial.
In FIG. 1 of U.S. Pat. No. 7,846,715 (the '715 patent) a sample chamber 100 is disclosed which allows various types of tissues and other types of biomaterials to be conditioned. The contents of the '715 patent are incorporated herein by reference. To allow for the introduction of fluids (or other content) into the sample chamber 100, the chamber is sealed to define a chamber volume 102 within which a specimen 104 is positioned. The sample chamber 100 includes two push rods 106, 108 that allow the specimen 104 to be held along a vertical axis. The orientation and position of the push rods 106, 108 may be manually changed for adjusting the specimen 104. One or both of the rods 106, 108 can be moved (e.g. up and down or rotated) by a motor to provide mechanical stimulation to the specimen 104. A user-defined conditioning profile specifies a desired mechanical stimulation of a specimen 104.
The sample chamber 100 also includes a transparent chamber window 114 that allows the chamber volume 102 and the specimen 104 to be viewed during conditioning. Various types of transparent material (e.g., plastics, glass, etc.) may be used to produce the window 114 while still providing the appropriate structural integrity needed for conditioning the specimen 104 with the sample chamber 100. The window 114 is secured against a compliant element (e.g. an O-ring) with six fasteners in order to provide a leak-proof seal between the chamber 100 and the window 114. These fasteners (e.g. screws) apply compression around the perimeter of the sealing area. If there isn't enough compression all along the element, the seal will leak. The number and placement of the fasteners is determined by the pressure and stiffness of the elements involved.
Sometimes it may be desireable to obtain one or more images of the specimen 104 after the specimen has been placed in the chamber 100 (e.g. part way through a mechanical stimulation conditioning profile). These images can be obtained via a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) device. Currently, in order to capture these images, the chamber 100 must be opened up by removing the window 114. The specimen 104 is then removed from the chamber and placed in a container which has a geometry and is made of materials that make the container compatible for use in an MRI device. The container is then placed in an MRI device and images of the specimen 104 are captured. The specimen 104 often contains living cells that are very sensitive to environmental changes (e.g. exposure to air flow can kill them). The temperature is also critical. If the cells experience significant temperature changes they will die. This temperature window is relatively small (e.g. around 2° C.). Having to transfer the specimen 104 from the chamber 100 to the MRI container in order to capture an image of the specimen increases the risk of damaging or killing the specimen. Again, exposing the cells to an environment external to a container in which the cells are contained may weaken or kill the cells.